Fresh faces take hard look at engineering with Legos

Robotic cars, boats and even textile looms made of Legos were on display Friday at the Wells Fargo atrium in uptown Charlotte.

They were the work of students in Project LIFT schools who took part in a two-week summer program that mixed computer programming, robotics and lessons on sustainable energy. Project LIFT is a public-private partnership to boost academic success at West Charlotte High and its eight Charlotte-Mecklenburg feeder schools.

The robotics program, open to students in grades four through six, was funded with a teacher innovation grant and supported by UNC Charlotte Center City. It’s designed to pique students’ interest in engineering and computer science. Staff reports